Phantom money flowing at Ohio's soon-to-be casino

A worker cleans a lighting fixture on the ceiling of a gaming floor at the Horseshoe Casino Cleveland in Cleveland on Wednesday, May 9, 2012. Located in the city’s old Higbee department store, the $350 million project is scheduled to open to the public on Monday, May 14. (AP Photo/Amy Sancetta)

CLEVELAND (AP) — The phantom money was flowing Wednesday at Ohio's first casino, with cashiers practicing for next week's opening and no one going home a loser.

Developers of Horseshoe Casino Cleveland opened the doors for a media tour, and there was plenty of non-gambling action.

Lighting fixtures were adjusted, workers fine-tuned slot machines and dealers practiced pep rally-style chants to get in a smiling mood.

"When I say Horseshoe, you say service. Horseshoe," the leader said. "Service," the workers responded, pumping their fists in the air.

The chants will be a standard pre-shift routine when the casino opens Monday.

At the cashier windows, employees practiced by lining up to get a phantom payout. Colleagues behind the counter accepted make-believe chips and carefully counted out non-existent money.

"Have to count it for you," said one rookie cashier, acting out slapping six $100 bills on the counter.

A "winning" cashier, 59-year-old Daniel Seman, of suburban LeRoy, took the phantom money, but had nowhere to put it.

"No pockets," he said, gesturing to black slacks which, as a security precaution, omit pockets. He keeps his wallet and personal items in a locker while at work.

The no-money practice went smoothly for Seman, who comes to the casino job from semi-retirement. And, he said, "We do practice with paper money and chips."

The $350 million project is located in the city's old Higbee department store. Additional space will be added later in a second construction phase.

A Toledo casino will open in late May, followed by casinos in Columbus and Cincinnati. Voters approved casinos in 2009, in part with the promise of creating jobs. Opponents included church groups concerned about increased problem gambling.

The Cleveland casino promised to hire more than 90 percent of its workforce from the northeast Ohio region and said it has exceeded that with about 94 percent of its 1,600 employees hired from the metropolitan area.

At the Cleveland casino, there was a new-carpet smell as crews removed plastic from the buffet serving area, chips sat locked in glass-topped boxes on game tables and slot machines awaited the final items in a 23-step check list taped to each one.

Big-screen televisions were tuned to a cable sports show and Cleveland sports images and photos of poker tournament players hung from the walls. Upstairs, oversized black and white photos of celebrities with Ohio connections, including Clark Gable, Halle Berry, Dean Martin and Bob Hope, looked down from the walls of a swanky lounge reserved for high-end gamblers.

Jeff Cohen, a principal of Rock Gaming, a partner in the casino with Caesars Entertainment, said the venture was planned to avoid a self-contained "silo" casino and instead would encourage gamblers to sample other attractions in downtown Cleveland.

The casino doesn't have its own hotel, won't have Las Vegas-style stage shows and dining is limited to a buffet and a three-outlet food court.

"We wanted our patrons to spill out into the community and support the local restaurants and hotels," Cohen said.

Cohen said he doubted the casino would peak with likely high-interest opening months and instead would fare even better as the city completes current projects that include a new convention center, permanent medical exhibition trade show and riverside entertainment district.

"The support and the overflow from this casino that's going to spill out to the restaurants and the hotels is just going to help facilitate a full recovery here in downtown Cleveland," he said.